State district judge rules Proposition B unconstitutional

Mayor Sylvester Turner said Wednesday that a state district judge has declared Proposition B, the pay parity charter amendment approved by voters last November, was unconstitutional and void.

Photo: Marie D. De Jesús, Houston Chronicle / Staff Photographer

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Mayor Sylvester Turner announces on Friday, May 3, 2019, in Houston that a court-appointed mediator has declared negotiations over Proposition B with the Houston Professional Fire Fighters Association are at

Mayor Sylvester Turner announces on Friday, May 3, 2019, in Houston that a court-appointed mediator has declared negotiations over Proposition B with the Houston Professional Fire Fighters Association are at impasse. He said the city had agreed to implement the fire union’s offer for a 3.5 year phase-in with no layoffs, but the firefighters declined.

Photo: Marie D. De Jesús, Houston Chronicle / Staff Photographer

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Mayor Sylvester Turner announces on Friday, May 3, 2019, in Houston that a court-appointed mediator has declared negotiations over Proposition B with the Houston Professional Fire Fighters Association are at

Mayor Sylvester Turner announces on Friday, May 3, 2019, in Houston that a court-appointed mediator has declared negotiations over Proposition B with the Houston Professional Fire Fighters Association are at impasse.

Photo: Marie D. De Jesús, Houston Chronicle / Staff Photographer

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Houston Fire Department Chief speak during a press conference about about Prop B on Friday, May 3, 2019, in Houston.

Photo: Marie D. De Jesús, Houston Chronicle / Staff Photographer

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Mayor Sylvester Turner on Friday, May 3, 2019, said he still thinks Proposition B, which requires the city to pay firefighters the same as police, is bad.

Photo: Marie D. De Jesús, Staff Photographer

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Houston Fire Department Chief speak during a press conference about about Prop B on Friday, May 3, 2019, in Houston.

Photo: Yi-Chin Lee, Houston Chronicle / Staff Photographer

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Houston Fire Department firefighters talk to voters and hand out fliers to advocate for Prop B on Election Day on Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2018, in Houston.

Photo: Brett Coomer, Houston Chronicle / Staff Photographer

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Houston firefighters demonstrate over the pay dispute with the mayor.

Photo: Godofredo A. Vasquez/Staff Photographer

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Houston Fire Department firefighters show their support for Prop B while awaiting election results at the White Oak Music Hall Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2018, in Houston.

Photo: Brett Coomer, Houston Chronicle / Staff Photographer

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Houston firefighters take to the streets during a march on City Hall by the Houston Professional Fire Fighters Association over the labor dispute related to Proposition B on Tuesday, March 19, 2019, in Houston.

Houston firefighters take to the streets during a march on City Hall by the Houston Professional Fire Fighters Association over the labor dispute related to Proposition B on Tuesday, March 19, 2019, in Houston. Mayor Sylvester Turner recently told council members he intends to lay off up to 400 firefighters to fund the pay raises mandated by Prop. B.

Photo: Brett Coomer, Houston Chronicle / Staff Photographer

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Houston firefighters take to the streets during a march on City Hall by the Houston Professional Fire Fighters Association over the labor dispute related to Proposition B on Tuesday, March 19, 2019, in Houston.

Houston firefighters take to the streets during a march on City Hall by the Houston Professional Fire Fighters Association over the labor dispute related to Proposition B on Tuesday, March 19, 2019, in Houston. Mayor Sylvester Turner recently told council members he intends to lay off up to 400 firefighters to fund the pay raises mandated by Prop. B.

A state district judge on Wednesday ruled Proposition B, the voter-approved measure that grants Houston firefighters the same pay as police of corresponding rank and seniority, unconstitutional and void.

The ruling came in a lawsuit brought in November by the Houston Police Officers' Union, in which the group contended that the charter amendment conflicts with the Texas constitution.

Mayor Sylvester Turner briefly stopped the weekly city council meeting to announce the ruling.

The mayor has estimated that firefighters' raises would cost $79 million during the 2020 fiscal year. City council approved 220 firefighter layoff notices earlier this month to partially fund the raises. More than 100 fire cadets and municipal workers also have received 60-day layoff notices.

Just last Friday, the city announced it had implemented Prop B, retroactive to Jan. 1, sending firefighters checks for backpay.

Not all firefighters received the raises, however, because they lacked the education requirements of corresponding police officers, the Turner administration said